Since 2006, rumors of a live-action film adaptation of the highly successful real-time strategy MMORPG, Warcraft, have been buzzing around, with no real movement happening. Then in January 2013, Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code) was officially announced as the director and the ball has been rolling ever since, even having a sizzle reel unveiled during their San Diego Comic Con 2013 panel.
Then came BlizzCon 2013. BlizzCon is a convention put on by Blizzard Entertainment to celebrate and promote their major franchises: Warcraft, Starcraft, and Diablo. First being held in 2005, BlizzCon has become a huge event, growing steadily every years, and bringing in between 25,000 and 30,000 attendees since 2010. So, what better of a venue to bring news of the new Warcraft movie.
On the Saturday of the event, there was a panel specifically for the upcoming film. Duncan Jones spoke about the story direction, release date, and even revealed some concept art, which you'll see at the bottom of this article. The story, penned by Charles Leavitt (Blood Diamond), will center on the battle between the Alliance and the Horde, specifically humans versus orcs, lead by Anduin Lothor and Durotan, respectively, both of whom believe they are acting in the best interest of their peoples. It will also be focused largely in the Eastern Kingdoms of Azeroth and be set one year before the events of World of Warcraft.
Duncan Jones is a longtime Warcraft fan, and because of this, wanted to strike a balance between the Alliance and the Horde, instead of making it too heavy on one side. He describes the film as "Avatar meets Game of Thrones", while saying the style of the film is a war movie, comparing it to the 2000 Ridley Scott film, Gladiator. He went on to say how his production team is trying very hard to build as many physical sets as possible to keep the realism of the film alive.
The film is set to start filming in January 2014 and will be rated PG-13. No casting has yet been announced, but rumors about Colin Farrell, Paula Patton, and Travis Fimmel have surfaced, and with the filming date right around the corner, it won't be long before the casting choices come out. The release date is set for December 18, 2015, which also happens to be the release date for the upcoming Star Wars Episode 7, so be prepared for Warcraft to change its date.
And as promised, here are the concept art images that were released at BlizzCon 2013. Enjoy!
Draenor
Dalaran
Ironforge
Stormwind
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